Monday MattersSample

Why Work?

Most of us probably spend more time working than doing just about anything else. But does God even care about our work? Through this reading plan, we’ll discover that, yes, He absolutely does, and we’ll explore what it means to live out our faith – not just on Sundays, but in the middle of our working weeks.

We know our work matters to God, because work was His idea. He created work before people sinned; it’s not a consequence of the Fall. Because of sin, the ground was cursed (Genesis 3:17), not the work. There’s an element of toil and tribulation in work, because we live in a broken world, but the work itself isn’t a punishment for sin. In the creation story, we see that God chose to work and demonstrated a perfect work ethic: decide, commit, act, consider, see that it’s good, and complete the task. Then rest. Work was important to God, so it’s appropriate for work to be important to us, too.

Paul instructs each person to ‘live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them…’ (1 Corinthians 7:17 NIV) We’re uniquely created and called to live as believers, working and serving faithfully, in whatever situation God has placed us in, ‘to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.’ (Colossians 1:20 NIV)

Paul uses the all-inclusive word whatever in 1 Corinthians 7:17 and again in Colossians 3:23: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…’ (NIV) Whatever we do – no exclusions – we should do for God, not for people. The so-called separation between sacred and secular is a purely human invention; it’s not part of God’s Kingdom culture. We’ve created an artificial hierarchy around the perceived sacredness of certain jobs: church leaders and missionaries at the top, then people who serve for the greater good (like doctors or teachers), then accountants, lawyers, CEOs, and the like. However, your calling is sacred because God ordained it. He built you for it, and as you yield to Him in your vocation, you’ll bear fruit for His Kingdom. All Christians, whatever they do, are in full-time ministry.

As we embrace the truth that God is most definitely interested in our work and that we’re anointed, appointed, and uniquely positioned, by God, for God, we can begin to align ourselves with His purposes for us in our jobs by committing whatever we do to Him and trusting Him to establish our plans. Thank God for your job – whether it’s stimulating or mundane – and ask Him to show you how to acknowledge His calling and apply His principles in your workplace. May you begin to see His purpose in your labour and allow this to shape how you work.